Solidarity with Strikers on the Hong Kong Docks 声援香港码头工人罢工

All On the Same Ocean – Video of the Hong Kong Dockworker’s Strike

“On March 29th, 2013, about 200 dockworkers in Hong Kong went on strike at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminal.

The strike, which has since expanded to about 500 dockers and crane operators, is one of the most significant labor actions in Hong Kong’s recent history because this is the first time that a strike has targeted Li Ka Shing. With an estimated net worth of US$ 31 billion, Li is the eighth richest man in the world. He has a monopoly stake in many industries in Hong Kong and China, dictates much of Hong Kong’s politics and economic policy, and epitomizes Hong Kong’s rampant social inequality and the “get rich quick” capitalist ethos of the 80s. The dockworkers have garnered massive support from Hong Kong citizens, with the strikers raising more than US$500,000 for their strike fund, much of it collected from citizens at street corners.

As of this writing (April 17th), the strike is in its third week, with management refusing to accede to the docker’s demands for wage increases and improvements in their living conditions. You can hear them speak for themselves about their work conditions in this video, which was taken from the first day of the strike.”

The video was produced by students from Left 21, a left organization in Hong Kong, and translated by Richard Chen of the International Bolshevik Tendency.